Episode 197 (31st October 1962)
Plot Ena leaves the Mission in Swindley's hands for the duration of the meeting. Edward Appleby asks Christine to live with him and his wife but she doesn't think it would work. Mr Spinks gets the boiler working in the Mission. Martha shows Ena's letter to everyone at the Rovers - it's a love letter from "Jack", not her husband, written on Christmas Day 1942. Christine turns down money from the Applebys. At Elsie's suggestion, she applies for a job at Miami Modes. Martha gets Ena to confirm that Alfred Sharples died in 1937 and therefore her affair with Jack started in 1934 while Alfred was alive. Albert buys fireworks for Susan Schofield. Ena gets suspicious when Martha keeps going back-and-forth between the Snug and Public to report her findings to the others. Annie hears the letter being read and realises it's one of her letters from Jack, dropped on the night of the gas main evacuation. Martha suspects "Jack" is Jack Crosby, an old friend of the Sharples who died recently. Elsie doesn't tell the landlord she's taken in a lodger. Frank, Harry, Albert and Len attend Swindley's meeting. As he feverishly delivers his speech, Swindley fails to notice the room heating up and his audience fanning themselves. Ena arrives in time to see the boiler explode and Swindley and Spinks get covered in soot. Cast Regular cast *Annie Walker - Doris Speed *Jack Walker - Arthur Leslie *Albert Tatlock - Jack Howarth *Frank Barlow - Frank Pemberton *Ena Sharples - Violet Carson *Martha Longhurst - Lynne Carol *Concepta Hewitt - Doreen Keogh *Harry Hewitt - Ivan Beavis *Lucille Hewitt - Jennifer Moss *Kenneth Barlow - William Roache *Elsie Tanner - Patricia Phoenix *Florrie Lindley - Betty Alberge *Leonard Swindley - Arthur Lowe *Len Fairclough - Peter Adamson *Christine Appleby - Christine Hargreaves Guest cast *Mr Spinks - Stephen Hancock *Mr Appleby - Fred Ferris *Heckler - Reg Passingham Places *Coronation Street *Rovers Return Inn - Public/Snug *13 Coronation Street - Back room *Glad Tidings Mission Hall - Main hall Notes *From Episode 172 (6th August 1962) to Episode 459 (5th May 1965) the programme featured a standardised cast list for the regular characters. This means that in this episode Minnie Caldwell (Margot Bryant), Valerie Barlow (Anne Reid), Miss Nugent (Eileen Derbyshire), Sheila Birtles (Eileen Mayers) and Doreen Lostock (Angela Crow) are credited but do not appear. *The end credits play over the final scene at the Glad Tidings Mission Hall, just after the boiler explodes. *Stephen Hancock makes a pre-Ernest Bishop appearance as Mr Spinks. *Beatrice Neild, who appeared in the irregular role of Mrs Toft from 1969 to 1974 appears as an extra in this episode as a member of the audience at Leonard Swindley's meeting. *''TV Times'' synopsis: Swindley lets off some hot air *Viewing Figures: First UK broadcast - 7,306,000 homes (3rd place). Notable dialogue Len Fairclough (about Martha Longhurst): " She's got a mind like a fire grate." Category:1962 episodes